I Want My TouchScreen VoIP Phone

Before I go any further I have to be honest, when the touchscreen VoIP phones first came out I was somewhat skeptical. Sure it was cool but it seemed a little unnecessary and, dare I say it excessive, to have a touchscreen on a desk phone. But in the years since my opinion has shifted and now I want a touchscreen VoIP phone on my desk.

I think maybe this ‘want’ is just an extension of the fact that a lot of the things I own and use touchscreen. My cell phone is touchscreen. My laptop/tablet is touchscreen. While my displays for my desktop computers at work and home aren’t I’ve found myself touching the screen only to be disappointed when nothing happens, so: In the future my desktop computer will be touchscreen.

So what are my options for touchscreen VoIP Phones?

As I see it there are three different options when it comes to touchscreen phones:

The Small Display – These phones have kept the form factor of a traditional business VoIP phone but the display is touch. Some examples of this include the Grandstream GXV3140, Polycom VVX 500 and snom 870.
The Horizontal Display – Stripped of almost all of the traditional telephony keys this phones usual boast large displays and a touchscreen only interface. Some examples of this include the Grandstream GXV3175, Panasonic KX-UT670 and CloudTC Glass 1000.
The Horizontal Display with Keypad – The middle ground between the two other types these phones usually boast a larger display but keep the telephony keys. Some examples of this include the RCA IP150 and Yealink VP530.

While I have had a chance to use all of these VoIP phones during my time at VoIP Supply and they all are pretty good phones, I am talking about MY touchscreen VoIP phone.

Now that we’ve gotten my petulant child-esque outburst out of the way, what do I want to see in this VoIP phone?

Personally I would like to see one that keeps the form factor of a standard desktop VoIP phone such as snom 870 but extend the touchscreen to cover the whole side of the phone. Remove the directional keypad and the keypad and just have one large vertical touchscreen display.

More than anything I think I am splitting hairs on the details but if any manufacturer out there is working up some sketches for their next touchscreen VoIP phone. . . .hit me up, I have some ideas.